Noussair Mazraoui: United ace relishing Cunha battle at World Cup | OneFootball

Noussair Mazraoui is a key member of Manchester United’s first-team squad and is preparing to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Moroccan endured a stop-start 2025/26 campaign affected by injuries and national team commitments, appearing 20 times in all competitions for the English giants, 11 of which were starts.

Noussair Mazraoui Stats: 2025/26 Season

Source: Transfermarkt.

The versatile full-back’s ability to perform multiple roles in defence and midfield has endeared him to United fans. The 28 year old recently sat down with the club’s media to discuss the upcoming World Cup and also touched on the topic of facing a current team-mate.

Morocco exceeded expectations in 2022

Morocco reached the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, stunning the football world by defeating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the process. While they were eventually defeated by losing finalist France, the Atlas Lions left a lasting impression.

Speaking to the club’s website, Mazraoui insisted that Morocco enjoyed every minute of the 2022 World Cup. He said: “Yeah, it was a little bit different. I’m talking like I’ve done four World Cups, it was my first one! I think it’s different, of course, mid-season, it’s different in every aspect, physically, mentally as well.”

“End of the season, you have the whole season [that you have played before it], just half-season [like Qatar was] is different. But what I remember from that World Cup is we just went in there with a good fight.”

“Everybody was free in their head. We knew we had a strong team. We knew we could do something, but we never expected to be in the semi-final. So that was a big surprise for us, I think for the whole world, and we enjoyed every minute of that.”

On facing United team-mate Matheus Cunha at World Cup

Morocco kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign by locking horns with Brazil at the MetLife Stadium next Saturday, 13 June. The game will pit Mazraoui against his club team-mate Matheus Cunha.

The Moroccan insisted that he is eager to test himself against Cunha and has already discussed the possibility with the Brazilian. He said: “When you have time, we talk about the club, everything. This subject as well, especially [with] Cunha, because he’s probably going to play left or right winger, [if he’s] on my [side], then [it’s] 1v1, so it’s going to be fun.”

Mazraoui also acknowledged that the expectations will be much higher now compared to four years ago, adding: “I think we’ve been doing really good on an international level as well as in Africa itself. So yeah, expectations are much higher than they were four years ago because we’ve reached that and because we’ve done pretty well the last four or five years.”

“So yeah, the expectations are bigger and it’s up to us to handle that kind of pressure and to show again that you can do the same thing that you did four years ago, and it’s not just luck and it’s going to be like a constant level. I think that’s our biggest ambition for us.”

The charm of World Cup

Mazraoui went on to explain why the World Cup remains football’s most special tournament, stating: “I think they did it very smart with the timings. Once in four years, you don’t have a lot of World Cups in your career.”

“If you start off very young and go until a later age, you still have five or six, that’s still not a lot, but the Champions League you can have every season, European [trophies], Africa Cup, it’s all the same. I think that’s what makes it extra special.”

“It’s just once every four years and you just don’t know where you are after four years. You can be in a great spot, but if you’re not in the right moment, in the right club, in a good form, you can also not be selected. So, I think that’s what makes it special. Not a lot of players can say that they’ve played a couple World Cups. I think it’s elite.”

Final Thoughts

Mazraoui’s versatility has been an asset for United this season, with the player also impressing in an unconventional centre-back role in the 1-0 win against Chelsea. A strong World Cup campaign would further enhance his experience and confidence ahead of ahead of what promises to be another demanding season at Old Trafford.

Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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